Calendar watch with isolated hour hand changing means combined with synchronization gearing

ABSTRACT

A calendar watch showing the day of the month is combined with an hour hand changing device for changing the hour hand independently of the minute hand and includes a watch movement driving the hour hand, the minute hand and a day of the month indicator, the hour hand changing device being associated with the movement and including means for selectively by-passing a driving gear of the movement and driving the hour hand through an hour wheel which in turn drives a series of gears for operating the day of the month indicator so that the hour hand and the day of the month indicator remain synchronized to enable the indicator to change the day at midnight.

United States Patent [191 Cleusix [75] Inventor: Willy Cleusix, Bienne, Switzerland [73] Assignee: OMEGA Louis Brandt & Frere S.A., Bern, Switzerland 22 Filed: Jan. 26, 1972 211 App]. No.: 220,966

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 9, 1971 Switzerland ..1870/71 [52] U.S.Cl ..ss/ss,5s/s5.s s1 Int.Cl. .0041, 19/24, G04b 27/00 [58] Field of Search ..58/4, 5, 58, 59, 85.5, 42.5,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,456,122 12/1948 Guilden ..58/85.5X

[ 1 3,710,567 1 Jam 16,1973

Primary Examiner-George H. Miller, Jr. Attorney-Imirie & Smiley [57] ABSTRACT A calendar watch showing the day of the month is combined with an hour hand changing device for changing the hour hand independently of the minute hand and includes a watch movement driving the hour hand, the minute hand and a day of the month indicator, the hour hand changing device being associated with the movement and including means for selective- 1y by-passing a driving gear of the movement and driving the hour hand through an hour wheel which in turn drives a series of gears for operating the day of the month indicator so that the hour hand and the day of the month indicator remain synchronized to enable the indicator to change the day at midnight.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures CALENDAR WATCH WITH ISOLATED HOUR 1 HAND CHANGING MEANS COMBINED WITH SYNCHRONIZATION GEARING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In conventional watches, that is regular as distinguished from calendar watches, it is possible to turn the hour hand without turning the minute hand. Such a correction is useful, particularly when the wearer passes from one time zone to another, as during air travel, and it is required to change the hour by one or more units without losing the indication of the minute and second hands.

When such a watch is provided with a date indicator, an undesirable difference may be produced between the indication of the 'day of the month and that of the hands. The date movement is produced every 24 hours at midnight, consequently, if the user advances the hour hand by two steps, the date will change at pm instead of at midnight, and if the wearer turns the hour hand back three steps, the date will change at 3am.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a calender watch I showing the day of the month is combined with an hour hand changing device for changing the hour hand independently of the minute hand. The watch comprises 'a movement including a plurality of gears for driving the hour hand, the minute hand, and a day of the month indicator, at least one of said gears comprising an hour wheel in driving relation with the hour hand. An hour BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the embodiment,

FIG. 2 is a view in section,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a minute wheel and FIG. 4is a plan view of a mechanical clutch support plate.

The watch movement 27 comprises an hour wheel I carrying the hour hand 1', and which engages with a minute pinion 2. The latter is connected to a lower minute wheel 3, and an upper minute wheel 4 coaxial with the upper minute, wheel is loosely mounted on the canon of pinion 2 and engages with thepinion 5 which is mounted on and frictionally coupled to the shaft 6 of a center pinion not shown. The hour wheel 1 is mounted loosely on the pinion 5 and shaft 6. The lower minute wheel 3 represents an additional driving member, controllingthe hour hand 1' and which acts in connection with a three position stem 17, a setting pinion 18, a gear 19, wheel 3 and the pinion 2, in one of its three axial positions, as an hour corrector, while the upperminute wheel 4, corresponds to usual minute wheel operation, normally driven by the watch movement27, by way of the pinion 5. During normal working of the watch the minute wheel 4 leads, and is magnetically coupled with the wheel 30 so that the wheel 3 may be driven by permanent magnets 7 and 8.

When the corrector is used, the stem 17 with the setting pinion 18 is brought to its second axial position, in which the setting lever 28 is still not in contact with the support spring 9 and does not push the latter down so that the support plate 11 with the studs 13, remains in the position shown in FIG. 2, so that the heads 14 are not engaged in the openings 16, it is the minute wheel 3 which leads and since the force in the direction of rotation of the pinion 5 is greater than the attraction of the permanent magnets 7 and 8, slipping and, consequently, disengagement occur between the two wheels 3 and 4; in the third axial position of the stem 17, the studs 13 are moved axially so that their ends 14 are inserted in the openings 16 to obtain rotation of the two wheels. The two minute wheels 3 and 4 have the same diameter and the same number of teeth. The minute hand 1 is carried as usual by the pinion 5. A second hand, co-axial or not with the other hands, may be provided.

The additional (lower) minute wheel 3 is magnetically positioned relatively to the other (upper) minute wheel 4. For this purpose three permanent magnets 7 are secured in the wheel 4, these magnets being uniformly distributed around the axis of the wheel 4 as shown in FIG. 3. Three soft iron pieces 8 of the same size as the magnets 7, are secured in the additional wheel 3 opposite the magnets 7 as also shown in FIG. 3. This arrangement is disclosed more completely by application Ser. No. 74,278, filed Sept. 22, 1970.

A support spring 9, fixed to the base plate of the watch movement 27 near the minute wheels 3 and 4, has a flexible arm terminating in an arcuate part 10 coaxial with the wheels 3 and 4. Below the portion 10 of the support spring 9 there is a support plate 11 freely adjustable axially relative to the minute pinion 2 and bearing against a leaf spring 12 having several resilient arms in contact with the upper face of the minute wheel 4. The support plate 11 carries three studs 13 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lower end of which have enlarged heads 14. The heads 14 of the studs 13 engage in a series of openings 15 in the upper minute wheel 4 and corresponding openings 16, slightly greater in diameter, are formed in the lower minute wheel 3, opposite the openings 15.

Keyed on a time setting rod 17 is a time setting pinion 18 adapted to co-operate with a gear 19 which meshes with the minute wheel 3.

As described in US application Ser. No. 100,598 filed Dec. 22, 1970, it is possible to effect either a correction of the hour hand alone or to set the normal time, according to whether the time setting rod 17 is drawn into its second or its third axial position. Thus if the stem 17 is in its second or intermediate position, the setting lever 28 does not depress the support spring 9, so that the studs 13 remain in the position shown in FIG. 2. If the stem 17 is turned, the lower minute wheel 3 is rotated and, consequently, the hour hand 1, but this rotation is not transmitted to the wheel 4. It is thus possible to turn the hour hand I forward or backward by one or more steps, without influencing the indication given by the other hand or hands. If the stem 17 is brought to its third axial position, the end 28 of setting lever 28, due to the displacementof' the rod 17, is

moved in such a manner that the support spring 9 is pushed down, so that the studs 13 engage by their heads 14 in the openings 16 of the wheel 3, thus mechanically coupling the two minute wheels 3 and 4. If the stem 17 is now turned, normal time is set, i.e. simultaneously correction of the hour and minute hand I is'effected.

The hour wheel .1 meshes with a wheel 20, the pinion 21 of which drives an'intermediate wheel 22, turning-at the rate of one turn per day. Thewheel 22 carries a pin 23 which engages the teeth'24 of a day of the month indicator 25 subjected to the action of a spring pawl 26. I

I The result of the foregoing is that a gear by-pass connection is produced between the day of the month and the hour corrector, i.e. between the day indicator 25 and the. lower minute wheel 3 through the intermediate wheel 22, the reduction gearing 20 21, the hour wheel land minute pinion 2. Consequently, whether a correction of the hour hand 1' alone is effected or simultaneous correction of the hour hand '1' and the minute hand, the wearer is assured that the change of date is effected exactly at midnight in the place where he is located, whatever the local time may be; In this manner any phase difference between the indication of the day of the month and that of the hand 1 is eliminated.

We claim:

l. A calender ,watch showing the day of the month, comprising an hour hand, a minute hand, a day of the month indicator, a watch movement including a plurality of gears for driving said hour hand, said minute .hand and said day of the month indicator, at least one of said gears constituting an hour wheel in driving relation with said hour hand, an hour hand changing device for changing the hour hand independently of said minute hand, said device comprising means for selectively by-passing a driving gear of said inovement and driving said hour wheel to change said hour hand, said hour wheel driving a series of gears which drive said day of the month indicator so that the position of the hour hand and the day of month indicator remain synchronized to enable the movement driving the day of the month indicator to change the day at midnight.

2. A calender watch as recited in claim 1 wherein said movement for driving said hour and minute hands comprises a center shaft and a drive pinion coaxial with cient to couple said minute wheels upon operation'of" said hour hand changing device for changing the hour hand independently of the minute hand, said mechani cal coupling means comprising means for rotating the second minute wheel and overcoming the magnetic coupling while the first minute wheel remains engaged with the drive pinion, and additional hour hand changing means for simultaneous correction of the hour and minute hands wherein the mechanical coupling is activated.

* t i i I UNITED STATES PATENT I CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.5 0,567 Dated J nuary 16, 1973 Inventor(s) Willy Oleusix It is certified that-error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Heading change the address of Assignee Omega Louis Brandt &

Frere, S.A. from Bern to Bienne Signed and sealed this 13th day of November 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. RENE D. TEGTMEYER Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner ofPatents FORM Po-1050 (10-69) uscoM -Dc 60376-P69 I I I I a O RNMENT Plenum; orr'lcg 1 155s 0 355-13 I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.) 1 710,567 I .Dated January 16, 1973 Inventor() Willy CIGLISIX It is certified that-error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Heading change the address of Assignee Omega Louis Brandt &

Frere, S.A. from Bern to Bienne Signed and sealed this 13th day of November 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

v EDWARD M. FLETCHEILJR. I RENE D. TEGTMEYER Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents FORM Po-1os0 (10-6 USCOMM-DC 60376-P6Q I I I u,s, GOVERNMENT Hymn"; OFYFICF z i559 Q3V66-3\34 

1. A calender watch showing the day of the month, comprising an hour hand, a minute hand, a day of the month indicator, a watch movement including a plurality of gears for driving said hour hand, said minute hand and said day of the month indicator, at least one of said gears constituting an hour wheel in driving relation with said hour hand, an hour hand changing device for changing the hour hand independently of said minute hand, said device comprising means for selectively by-passing a driving gear of said movement and driving said hour wheel to change said hour hand, said hour wheel driving a series of gears which drive said day of the month indicator so that the position of the hour hand and the day of month indicator remain synchronized to enable the movement driving the day of the month indicator to change the day at midnight.
 2. A calender watch as recited in claim 1 wherein said movement for driving said hour and minute hands comprises a center shaft and a drive pinion coaxial with and mounted on said center shaft, a minute pinion and shaft in driving relation with said hour wheel, a first minute wheel loosely mounted on said minute pinion and shaft and in driving relation with said drive pinion, a second minute wheel fixedly mounted on said minute pinion shaft coaxial with the first minute wheel, mechanical and magnetic coupling means between said first and second minute wheels, said magnetic coupling being of such strength as to drive the minute pinion during normal operation of said movement but insufficient to couple said minute wheels upon operation of said hour hand changing device for changing the hour hand independently of the minute hand, said mechanical coupling means comprising means for rotating the second minute wheel and overcoming the magnetic coupling while the first minute wheel remains engaged with the drive pinion, and additional hour hand changing means for simultaneous correction of the hour and minute hands wherein the mechanical coupling is activated. 